Shoe quarter moulding apparatus



July 29,v 1947. w. F. HERLIHY 2,424,888

SHOE QUARTER MOULDINQ APPARATUS Filed Jan. 24, 1945 2 Sheets-She'et 1 .i/Hezh' y w. F. HERLJHY I SHOE QUARTER MOULDING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 24, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L ervtar Patented July 29, 1947 MOULDING APPARATUS SHOE QUARTER wiuienir. Her-filly, Haverhill, Mass. Application January 24, 1945, Serial No. 574,427

This invention pertains to the manufacture. of

footwear, and relates more especially to apparatus for moulding the quarter portion of-an assembled shoe upper including the forepart, in preparation for lasting the upper. p

The more usual practice in shoe makingis to impart the desired shape to the quarter portion of the shoe upper by the application of. lasting pull, thereby to conform the quarter to the rear part of the last, but in the very finestshoe making and in instances where the quarter is of stiff, heavy or other material which is diflicult to shape, it has been proposed to subject the quarter portion of the upper to a mouldingoperation (similar to that used in the manufacture of moulded counters) prior to the lasting operation.

7 While it is possible thus to mould the quarter portions of shoes of certain types by the employment of ordinary counter moulding apparatus, in particular shoes of the openshank type, it is very diflicult, if not impossible, ;to mould shoe uppers having full Vamps or a small opening at the top by means of the. ordinary counter moulding devices.

Counter moulding apparatus of theusual type includes a rigid male die or plug whose upper part is shaped to the desired contour ofthe inside of the moulded counter, and a vertically movable head having a pair of relatively movable wings which collectively constitute the female die and which are forced toward each other as the head descends toward the plug, thereby to compress and form the counter to the shapeof. the dies. This plug is usually an integralcasting comprising a foot or attaching portion a vertical post, and the die proper at the upper end of the post. Since the plug is of some considerable height and subjected to extremely heavy stresses, it has been customary to make the postv of substantial thickness from front to rear, for example a front-to-rear thickness of approximately two inches. Usually this supporting portion or post is of rectangular section, and since the upper portion or shaping part of the plug is usually approximately three inches thick from front to back, and of a vertical depth to accommodate counters having long shank extensions there is little clearance below the counter shaping portion of the plug for the reception of the forepart portion of an assembled shoe upper when the device is used for moulding the quarter portion of the assembled shoe upper. Since the upper part of the plug is curved to the contour of the back seam of the upper, the forepart of the upper (when the quarter of a shoe is being moulded) 1Clain'i. (01.12-97) tends to swing rearwardly, but such swinging of the forepart of the upper is interfered with by the lower part or post portion of the plug so that the upper is thereby cramped and may be torn if subjected to the moulding pressure. To avoid this, the prior practice in dealing with open shank shoes is to bend the forepart of the upper rearwardly and to slip it over the plug so that the toe portion of the upper lies rearwardly of the post portion of the plug. When thus positioned it is possible to apply the moulding pressure without danger of damage to the shoe, although this operation of flexing the upper rearwardly and passing the plug through it preparatory to the moulding operation and the subsequent pulling of the upper on from the plug, is troublesome and time-consuming. On the other hand, if the shoe upper be of the type having a high vamp and small top opening, it is impossible thus to pass the plug through the upper and thus the moulding of the quarters of such shoes by the usual counter moulding apparatus is very difiicult and indeed in many cases impossible of performance.

Theprincipal object of the present invention is to provide improved moulding means for use in moulding the quarters of shoe uppers, and in particular shoe uppers having high Vamps and small top openings. Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description andby referenceto the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 isa fragmentary more or less diagrammatic front elevation of a counter moulding machine of a well-known type, but embodying a novel plug made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, illustrating a plug of the usual prior type and showing the arrangement of a. shoe upper of the open type on said plug preparatory to moulding;

Fig. 3 is a similar side elevation of the improved plug of the present invention indicating the'position of the sho upper on this plug during the moulding operation; and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the plug shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral I designates the'base portion of a counter moulding machine of conventional type. On this base portion is mounted a holder 2 which is designed to receive the lower part or foot 3 of the counter moulding plug. In accordance with the present invention this plug, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and a post 6 which, in the simplest construction is 8 integral with both foot 3 and head 4 of the plug, the plug being made, for example, by first casting it in a single block and then turning down the post 6 to the desired dimensions. As above noted, the fr'ont-to-re'ar dimension or the-head l portion 4 of the plug, that is to say, thedis'taince between the vertical front face 9 and the rear face l0, may approximate three inches, this beirig a usual dimension to providethe desired-external contour for moulding shoe quarters of a given range of sizes. In accordance withthe present invention the post 6 is of a diameter substantially;

less than the front-to-rear thickness or the head, i

for example, the stem or post portion 6 mayap proximate one and one-half inches in diameter and the axis of this st'ein or post portioh ls so relatively locate'das' respectsthe surface: 9 that theior'ward element 1 of the post is spaeedzrear wardlya distance of approximatelyone inch from the plane of the vertical front surfaced As'il lustra'tedin Fig. 3,. the distance from-'theshoulder H; at which the surface 9 terminates, to'thelower end of the steni 5; approximates threeinches.

contrasted with this new arrangement the old or usual plug, as illustrated in'Fig, 2, having the foot' 3 and: the'head 4, comprises a post or stem 6 of rectangular transverse'section,zapproximately two' inches in thickness from-front to rear and approximately'one' and" one half inches in transvers'e'dimension.

In the old device; the post B is so' short that the distance from the shoulder 'l'l to'the lower end of the post approximates only two" inches. It is; thus manifest that with the new arrange ment there is a verysubstantial clearancespace c0 beneath the shoulder H and: forwardly'of the foremost element for the postat', whereas ire the prior construction, as shown in Fig.- 25 this clear ance space is very much smaller.

By reason of this small clarance spa'ce in" the arrangement of Fig; 2; it' is necessary; when moulding a shoe quarter S, to ben'd*.'tlie"quarter and dispose its forepart rearwardly' ofthe post, as indicated" in broken'lihes'in Fig; 2: Onthe other hand; whenmoulding a shoe quarter by 5b the empll'lyme'ntof the new' arrangement as shown'i'n Fig. 3; it is possible'to disposethe forepart of the shoe upper S within the clearance space beneath the shoulder ttand without; ne-

cess'itating the passage or the plug: through: the

quarter preparatory to moulding; as is required in the arrangement'of Fig. '2. It is thu'snot only possible to mould the quarter of atiopen shank shoe" without passing the plug throllgh the quarter, but alsot'o'mould quarters 'in which the top opening is too small: to-permit such-passage of the plug. Thus this new construction not only facilitates" the moulding op opelr type uppers but also the moulding ofuppers which heretofore could" not be, moulded atan by the use of usual counter mouldingxmechanismv While as above suggested the plug maybe of integral construction, it is contemplated that the post 6 may beef 3; material differentf rorh that of the; head land: thefoot 3,101- exai'nplei the-post --the rear corners found in the usual plug, thus providing additional space at opposite sides of the": plii'iidnthe 'accommodation of the forepart oftheupper, While a post 6 of circular transverseseencrn desirable, it is evident that by the IISGF oi extremely strong material such as some oi the alloy steels, an acceptable post of other thaii'ciiicular transverse section may be provided, having therequisite strength and stiffness, and v liichweuld occupy even lessspace either from front to' fear of transversely than the circular post Here illustrated} and is contemplated that all such modifications afi'ording the desired clearance space for the accommodation of the forepart of the" upper are to be considered as within the scope ofthe present invention as defined by the annexed claim.

IcIaim: V

. apparatus for use in molding the quarter portion of an assembled shoe upper including a, ioreparhfs'aid apparatus being in general like a conventional counter-moulding machine and capableof exerting pressure sufiicient to mould and to fiangeshoe' counters and wherein the'quarter portion ofthe shoe upper is shaped by the combiiied action'of a unitary fixed male die o'r plug a amnesia comprising a pair of relatively moveaplewings; the male die being mounted upon a fixed rigid-post and thefemale die being carried by a' head which goes toward and from the male d'ie'lIi a rectilinear path, the male" die or plug havmg a suhstantiallyvertical front face characterized in that the post is of circular'horizontal sectio ri annotadiameter notsubstantially'exceeding one and one-half inches and of a length of at least three" inches below the lower edge of the vertical fajce of the male die or plug, said front ver'ticaf facefbeing disposed in a plane which is approximately one inch in front of the forward vertical element of the post; thereby providing clearance'belowthe male die or plug for the accbmnrodation-or the rampant portion of the shoe upper while the quarter portionofthe upper is hei'ng moul'ded. H

WIELIAM F. HERLIHY.

REFERENCES 5 CITED The ollowing references are of record in the fi'le"of this patent:

UNITED" STATES PATENTS g Name Date wr- Lawson nee. 23 194:1 seharrrenber Aug, 5,- I941 FGRIEIGN" PATENTS Number Country Date 4861921; Germany -.l= -Nov. 29, 1929 

